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Man Dies After Smoke Panic On Sri Lankan Plane Apr 17, 2001



An Indian passenger who was injured while trying to escape a fire aboard a Sri Lankan Airlines aircraft has died in hospital, diplomats said yesterday.

Kattula Sammiah, 28, was among four passengers hurt in a stampede to escape the Frankfurt-bound Airbus A330 aircraft which aborted take off when the cabin filled with smoke on Wednesday.

Mr Sammiah died at the national hospital in Colombo on Sunday night, diplomatic sources said, saying he had suffered extensive head injuries.

India's High Commissioner, Gopalkrishna Gandhi had visited him in hospital on Wednesday and spoken with surgeons.

A German woman and two Sri Lankans, including a pregnant woman, were taken to hospital together with Mr Sammiah. The Sri Lankan female passenger suffered a miscarriage after the accident, officials said.

Panic gripped the passengers when cabin crew detected smoke aboard the aircraft as it was taxiing for take off at Bandaranaike International Airport, officials said.

The airline has been partly owned and fully managed by the Emirates airline of Dubai since Sri Lanka's national carrier was privatized in April 1998.

The passenger who died was described by diplomats as a former militant belonging to the People's War Group (PWG) of India's Andra Pradesh state. He was reportedly traveling to Germany to start a business.

RELATED LINKS

www.airbus.com

SriLankan Airlines Website

Parent Co Emirate's Website

KLM Plane evacuated after suspected arsonist lights toilet paper

15 April 2001

A KLM flight bound for Tel Aviv from Amsterdam was reported to have aborted take off today after a fire broke out in a toilet. Passengers were evacuated by emergency chutes. A spokesman said arson was suspected.

The public prosecutor's office ordered the plane impounded for investigation. One person was injured, but it was not clear how, said KLM spokesman Hugo Baas.

Passengers said the captain slammed on the brakes as the aircraft was picking up speed on the runway for liftoff when a fire indicator lit up in the cockpit.

The plane, carrying 225 passengers and 10 crew, taxied back to the terminal.

A check of the cabin failed to find the cause of the problem but 15 minutes later a flight attendant detected smoke coming from a toilet and the plane was evacuated.

Baas said paper towels and toilet paper had caught fire, and there was a "strong suspicion" that it was deliberate.

www.klm.com/news

www.boeing.com

QATAR AILINES ORDER AIRBUS A380 SUPERJUMBO

European planemaker Airbus Industrie said it won an order from Qatar Airways for two A380s and five A330-200 jets worth about USD$1 billion at list prices. It also took options for an additional two A380s and three A330-200s.

Airbus also disclosed that it has an additional order for four A380s from an unidentified customer. Airbus had been discussing the sale of four superjumbos with Singapore Airline Leasing Enterprise. An Airbus spokesman declined to comment.

Airbus has now won 66 firm commitments from nine customers for the A380s as well as options for another 54.

"The new A330 and the A380, with their unsurpassed cabin comfort, economy and reliability, will help us to remain a leader in this field," said Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, the Qatar Airways chairman.

The airline will take delivery of the A380s in the last quarter of 2007 and deliveries of the A330s will begin in April 2002.

The airline said the A330-200, a long-range, widebody jet, will be used on the airline's Doah to London route and other services to Europe and Asia, as well as to inaugurate new nonstop services to the Far East.

Qatar Airways said it chose General Electric Co's CFM6 engines for its A330 planes, but has not yet made a decision on the A380s.

CRAZED MENTAL PATIENT STORMS JUMBO-JET COCKPIT

A Nigerian Mental patient today stormed the cockpit of a British Airways Boeing 747-400 jetliner today, and tried to get hold of the controls. In the scuffle, the man managed to disengage the autopilot, sending the aircraft into a series of three nosedives, descending more than 10000ft from its flight cruise altitude.

The drama began when the man from World Traveller, BA's Economy class walked through two cabins into the upper deck Club World (Business Class) cabin. The Captain of the aircraft was in the nearby flight-crew rest area when he was awoken by the commotion. To restrain the crazed man, the First Officer held the man whilst the Captain gauged his eye. The other First Officer attampted to gain control of the jumbo.

Experts have raised doubts over BA's security, especially why anyone has access to the cockpit during flight.

Lan Chile, Delta, and Continental all keep their cockpit doors locked at all times during flight, whilst BA only during take off and landing.

AIRBUS LAUNCHES A380 SUPERJUMBO

Airbus announced December 19th, the industrial launch of their superjumbo, now called teh A380. This was a historic day for the future of Airbus, and indeed the rest of Europe, many of whose countries have given loans to help fund the A380.

Britain caused autrage in the US in the same month by announcing that it was to give a ?million loan to Airbus, repayable as convieniant. Bill Clinton was angered by this move, but most critics see America's outrage against the loans as a sign that they think, as do the rest of the aviation world that the A380 will be a huge success.

The new A380, a tripple decker, one for passenger luggage and two for passengers, is set to revolutionise passenger travel in the 21st Century, as much as Boeings 747 did the 20th.

As opposed to Boeings modest 416 passenger capacity in the Boeing 747, Airbus' new A38- should hold 550 in its first aircraft, the -100 series.

The second aircraft to be developed will be the -200 series and the A380-100F, an all-cargo version of the aircraft, with increased payloads and maximum efficiency, a combination long sought after in the cargo world.

With launch customers being amonsgt the most respected in the World, Airbus has a strong foundation to the project. With 50 orders and 42 options, funding has outweighed the 747's initial order sum, Airbus' being around ?n.

Qantas' spare engines alone will cost the airline $AU600million.

Airbus to build supersonic jet

AIRBUS managers tlod a German business magazine today that they plan to develop and build a supersonic airliner, capable of flying at twice the speed of Concorde, with up to 250 passengers.

BRANSON: NEW CABINS ARE JUST FOR SEX IN THE AIR

Sir Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin empire and Virgin Atlantic, announced after his order for 6 Airbus A380 superjumbos, his pursuit of new passenger facilitiy options for the new aircraft.
Main features being considered were:

- Under-floor self-service food areas
- Private Cabins for Upper Class Passengers

Some controversy arose over Branson's most outrageous suggestion that the private cabins with Virgin Atlantic's infamous upper-class' double beds were primarily for sex.

Boeing to build world's longest range jet

Boeing has announced its latest addition to the 777 family, the 777LR. The long range jet will become the longest range jet in the world, with a 10000 mile capability. A trip from New York to Kuala Lumpur would be, for example, well within its range.

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